Driving the Overseas Highway from Key Largo to Key West, I let reef dives, seafood shacks, and impossibly blue water set the pace.

Florida has 4,510 islands that are ten acres or larger, the second-highest number of islands of any U.S. state after Alaska.

I stepped out onto my balcony and heard waves rolling gently onto the shore. Palm trees swayed in the breeze, and a rooster strutted across the grass. Yep, I was definitely in Key West. Plenty of ...